Abstract
Self-healing (SH) poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres are a unique class of functional biomaterials capable of microencapsulating process-sensitive proteins by simple mixing and heating the drug-free polymer in aqueous protein solution. Drug-free SH microspheres of PLGA 50/50 with percolating pore networks of varying porosity (ϵ = 0.49-73) encapsulate increasing lysozyme (≈1 to 10% w/w) with increasing ϵ, with typically ≈20 to 25% pores estimated accessible to entry by the enzyme from the external solution. Release kinetics of lysozyme under physiological conditions is continuous over more than two weeks and most strongly influenced by ϵ and protein loading before reaching a lag phase until 28 d at the study completion. Recovered enzyme after release is typically predominantly monomeric and active. Formulations containing acid-neutralizing MgCO3 at ≥ 4.3% exhibit >97% monomeric and active protein after the release with full mass balance recovery. Hence, control of SH polymer ϵ is a key parameter to development of this new class of biomaterials.